DMAA is a dietary supplement that contains a synthetic drug with stimulant properties, similar to amphetamines and ephedrine. The most popular brand-name supplements containing DMAA are Jack3d and OxyElite Pro, which are sold as pre-workout boosters, energy enhancers, and fat burners. Many Party Pills also contain DMAA. Recently, DMAA found in the bloodstream of two soldiers who died, prompting the military to ban on-base sales of the drug. It has been linked to severe, life-threatening side effects, including cardiac arrest and death.

 

What You Can Do & How a DMAA Lawsuit Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, LLP is currently accepting DMAA induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by this drug, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free DMAA lawsuit consultation. Please use the form below to contact our DMAA Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

UPDATE: FDA Sends 10 Warning Letters to DMAA Manufacturers

April 27, 2012 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just sent warning letters to ten manufacturers of dietary supplements containing DMAA, a controversial stimulant drug that has been linked to 2 deaths and 42 severe adverse events.

The following is a list of manufacturers who received warning letters:

• Exclusive Supplements (Biorhythm SSIN Juice)
• Fahrenheit Nutrition (Lean Efx)
• Gaspari Nutrition (Spirodex)
• iSatori Global Technologies, LLC (PWR)
• Muscle Warfare, Inc. (Napalm)
• MuscleMeds Performance Technologies (Code Red)
• Nutrex Research (Hemo Rage Black, Lipo-6 Black Ultra Concentrate, Lipo-6 Black, Lipo-6 Black Hers Ultra Concentrate, and Lipo-6 Black Hers)
• SEI Pharmaceuticals (MethylHex 4,2)
• SNI LLC (Nitric Blast)
• USP Labs, LLC (Oxy Elite Pro, Jack3D)

The FDA has concluded that “synthetically-produced DMAA is not a ‘dietary ingredient’ and, therefore, is not eligible to be used as an active ingredient in a dietary supplement.” Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), manufacturers of dietary supplements containing ingredients created after 1994 must provide the FDA with evidence of the safety of the ingredient. The manufacturers of DMAA products have never provided the FDA with evidence regarding the safety of DMAA.

The FDA warns that DMAA is known to cause blood vessel constriction, which can elevate blood pressure and increase the risk of deadly heart attacks.

DMAA Overview

DMAA is a dietary supplement that contains synthetic drugs with stimulant effects. It is sold under various names (Jack3d, OxyElite Pro, and more), and marketed mostly toward fitness enthusiasts looking for a pre-workout booster or weight-loss. The compounds in the drug are similar to amphetamines and ephedrine, but not as strong.

DMAA may appear on product labels under the following names:

• DMAA
• Geranamine, Geranium oil, extract, or any part of the geranium plant
• 1,3-Dimethylamylamine
• 1,3-dimethylpentylamine
• methylhexaneamine (MHA)
• methylhexanamine
• methylhexamine
• 4-methyl-2-hexanamine
• 2-amino-4-methylhexane

Products containing DMAA include:

• USPlabs Jack3d (Tropical Fruit and Lemon Lime)
• USPlabs Oxy Elite Pro
• Nutrex Lipo 6 Black Caps (his and hers)
• Nutrex Lipo 6 Black Ultra Concentrated (his and hers)
• Nutrex Hemo Rage Black Powder (Punch and Berry)
• Isatori PWR
• Muscletech Neurocore
• Muscletech Hydroxyslim
• Fahrenheit Nutrition Lean EFX
• Muscle Warfare Napalm
• All American Efx K-Otic
• SNI Nitric Blast
• BIORhythm SSIN Juice
• Muscle Meds Code Red
• SEI MethylHex (4 and 2)
• Grenade (universal) Grenade
• M.A.P. (iovate) Arson
• Gaspari Nutrition Spirodex

DMAA linked to Deaths

Two soldiers died after having heart attacks during fitness exercises. In summer 2011, a 22 year-old soldier collapsed at an Army base in the Southwest during a training run. In fall 2011, a 32 year-old solder at the same base collapsed after taking a physical fitness test. The 32 year-old died a month later in the hospital. DMAA was found in both the solders’ bloodstreams.

DMAA was also found in the bloodstream of a New Zealand man who took “party pills” containing the drug, and he later suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage.

Military Bans DMAA

The U.S. Department of Defense pulled dozens of products containing DMAA off shelves in on-base stores, pending review of potentially deadly side effects. The move is a precautionary measure until further safety reviews can be conducted. DMAA remains legal to use in the United States.

The Army had also received some reports of liver and kidney failure, seizures, loss of consciousness, and rapid heartbeat in other military personnel who had used products containing DMAA. Whether the products caused these symptoms is still unclear.

DMAA is known to cause false positives for methamphetamines during drug testing.

Is DMAA a Dietary Supplement?

DMAA was originally developed by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly during the 1940s as a nasal decongestant, which was sold as Forthane. Though the company stopped selling Forthane, medical literature in the 1950s warned that DMAA was more potent in animals than ephedrine.

Though it was developed as a drug, DMAA is sold now as a “dietary supplement.” Products sold as dietary supplements do not need to gain approval from the FDA before they are sold. They do not need to conduct safety studies or have scientific evidence to prove they are effective.

A spokeswoman for USPlabs, the Dallas company that markets OxyElite Pro and Jack3d, said that there is no evidence to suggest the products are dangerous. In a statement for an article published in the New York Times, she said that DMAA is a naturally occurring compound found in an Asian geranium that has been used as food for more than a century, with mild stimulant effects similar to caffeine.

The link between DMAA and the geranium is a point of contention. The evidence linking the drug to the geranium is based on a single report from a Chinese technical journal that was not peer-reviewed. The report, published in 1996, analyzed essential oil obtained from dried leaves of an Asian geranium. More than 40 compounds were reportedly detected, and of these, 31 compounds were “identified” by an automated system.

Since this Chinese report was published, no one has been able to reproduce the results. The manufacturers of DMAA have been unwilling or unable to provide scientists with the cut and dried botanical samples that supposedly form the basis of DMAA.

Most experts now agree that there is no credible evidence linking DMAA to a natural source, and it is actually a synthetic drug.

In August 2011, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) said that its members will no longer be able to label DMAA as geranium oil, extract, or any part of the geranium plant.

DMAA Side Effects

• Headaches
• Tremors
• Light-headedness
• Depression
• Dehydration
• Cold sweats
• Increased blood pressure
• Liver and kidney failure
• Loss of consciousness
• Racing heartbeat
• Heart Attack
• Stoke
• Lethal exhaustion
• Death

Do I have a DMAA Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, LLP is currently accepting DMAA induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has experienced a side effect after taking DMAA, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our DMAA Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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